One way to earn a little extra money or store credit is to turn in some DVDs/BluRays that may just be collecting dust in your house. You might be able to find stores near you that specialize in cash back for DVDs. We’ve found places such as Disc Replay and even some Gamestop stores in our area. There’s also a way to turn your DVDs in for Amazon credit. While you won’t get the cashback, you can use the credits to buy anything they sell, including Organic Foods and possible gifts for someone on your list.

In the past, we have asked for TV Show DVD sets for Christmas/Birthdays. We loved the convenience of watching them whenever we wanted to without dealing with bad streaming or having to watch ads. We also didn’t have to wait for all the episodes to be added. We’ve often shared our DVDs with family/friends, as well. Some of these cost barely anything during the holidays when some stores have “Black Friday” sales or quick hot deals on them. Recently, we took our sets and turned in some to Amazon for credit. In total, we earned $98! Even though they had been watched, Amazon classified them as “New” and we received the highest credit value for them. I thought I’d share with you how this works in case you had some at home, as well: (Note: Pics are a little small. You may need to click on them if you can’t see the detailing.)

1) You’ll first need to do a search on your DVD and find the title within their listings. For the sake of this example, I’m using Smallville Season 10.

2) At the bottom of the product screen, if there’s a trade-in option, you’ll see it listed. This one has a highest value of $13.65.

3) At the next screen, you’ll need to determine the condition of your DVD. If you choose one that’s lower than they think, they will upgrade you to the higher amount. The same goes for the reverse.

4) Next, you’ll need to choose your carrier option of how you plan to ship it. You get to ship it for free! When you are all done, they’ll give you packing/shipping labels to print and add to your box. You’ll use those to get the shipping pre-paid. (At least this is their current plan, which could change!) You’ll also choose the shipping address for your label and where they’ll ship your item back to if it’s rejected.

5) Next, you’ll have to choose what you want them to do if the condition you chose is not what they think the DVD is, according to their standards. You can reject it or accept the lower credit offer.

6) You’ll get one final screen to verify everything. When you are done, you’ll print your labels, affix them to your box with the DVD(s) and send it in. Just be sure you read all their rules/requirements, etc.

Now some of the DVDs aren’t eligible for credit if it’s not listed under the product info. Others will have higher or small amounts. It just depends on what you are trading in. I just wanted to share this option with you in case you can’t find a local store that will let you trade them in. You can always try to sell your items online (eBay, Craigslist, etc.) or via a garage sale. Overall, you just don’t want DVDs lying around collecting dust if you can get some extra money for them.

If you have good streaming capabilities and don’t mind watching ads, (if you choose that option) etc., you can check to see if places such as Netflix or Hulu have the shows/movies that you want to watch and it might save you money. We don’t usually watch enough to make either worth the extra money each month. Check your local networks online, as some of them have their shows online for free. Also, don’t forget that your local library may have DVDs that you can check out for free. Some will let you have them for a week at a time. And don’t forget, you also have Redbox and Blockbuster Express as options for inexpensive rentals (or free if there’s a current free code offer.) We have been slowly getting away from buying DVDs, unless they are for gifts for others at their request. There is a few that when we know we’ll continue to watch them and can get them on a hot deal that we’ll invest in.

I’m hoping that you’ll choose the best option for YOU. And that if you have any DVDs lying around, that you’ll consider finding options to clear out the clutter and possibly make some extra money/credit from them. I also wanted to share that if you think you won’t get much money from what you have, that you ask your local library if they’ll want the ones you aren’t using. It would be a great gesture to help others save money on free entertainment and possibly help encourage more people to take advantage of what their library has to offer.

1) Download the SwagBucks toolbar. Each morning when you login, you’ll receive Free SwagBucks. It’s typically just one, but that adds up to 30-31 free SwagBucks a month for doing basically nothing.

2) Once you download the SwagBucks toolbar, keep your eye on the “From TSG” envelope on it. I always keep mine at (0) now so I can tell when a new one pops-up. From time to time, they’ll add a free code in there worth various points. These only last a few hours so you have to be quick.

3) Take the Daily Polls. Under “Ways to Earn” select Daily Polls. There’s a question there that takes all of 10 seconds to answer and you’ll receive a SwagBuck for voting.

4) View No Obligation Offers. Under “Ways to Earn” select “Special Offers.” When that screen pops up, click on “Go Now” under “View Our No Obligation Offers and Win SwagBucks” off to the right. They’ll show you some offers, but you can simply skip past them, if they don’t interest you. After viewing a few, they’ll give you another free SwagBuck.

5) Check the “Swidget” for a Special Code. You’ll find this under “Promote” and Widget, if you want to add it to Facebook, Twitter, etc. But you can find it, for right now, on my blog on my right sidebar. Click on the “SC” button to see if there’s a Special Code at that time. They are randomly there and I’ll post about when I see there’s a code there.

6) Follow SwagBucks on Twitter, Facebook and their blog. They’ll often mention when they’ve hidden a code somewhere for Free SwagBucks.

7) Make sure you do your online searches with them, especially on Fridays. Fridays are “Mega SwagBucks Days” and your chances of winning higher amounts are increased.

These are the extra ways to earn SwagBucks that should earn you at least 100 extra SwagBucks a month. Remember, it only takes 450 SwagBucks to get a $5 Amazon Gift Card.

Not signed up for SwagBucks yet? You can sign-up and get 30 Free SwagBucks just for joining when you go through this link. You’ll earn SwagBucks for doing your online searches through them, along with finding free codes and the ways I mentioned above. It’s a great way to earn gift cards or other prizes throughout the year. They are my favorite free online program.

UPDATE: Several of my readers have added comments that they have had really good luck earning extra SwagBucks for doing the surveys. Thanks for sharing!

I’ve gotten quite a few new readers lately and I wanted to share some of the places that you can register at for free and get some freebies and/or coupons and also share a few ways to earn a little money or rewards:

Baby Center – Get BabyCenter’s free email newsletters that allow you to track your baby’s development week by week and includes articles on important health and safety topics handpicked for your particular stage of pregnancy. You’ll also receive valuable coupons, sale notices, and free offers from BabyCenter and their partners.

Home Depot Garden Club – Sign-up to get several coupons, specials and savings throughout the year on gardening things and savings at Home Depot.

Home Made Simple – Sign up for Home Made Simple newsletter and be among the first to know about special offers, samples, coupons, and sweepstakes offers from brands like Cascade, Dawn, Febreze, Mr. Clean, and Swiffer.

Vocal Point – This is one of my favorite freebie sites and I’ve gotten several free samples and high-value coupons from them.

Great Coupon Sites to Check Daily: Coupons.com, RedPlum and Smart Source. Also, Target has several coupons on their own site. Note: Some of Target’s are store coupons, while others are manufacturer coupons. You can also sign-up for coupons to be added to your store loyalty cards (of select stores) through Cellfire. UPromise is another place you can load your shopping loyalty cards to but with this one, you’ll earn money for college just from the purchases that you make.

Shop Online Much? Then you’ll want to sign-up for eBates and ShopAtHome. You’ll get $5 added to your account when you sign-up through those links. Search for the stores you shop at most to get Cash Back added to your accounts on your purchases.

And my favorite free online place to join is SwagBucks. Use code SUMMEROFSWAG through June 11, 2010 to get 50 SwagBucks added to your account. You’ll earn SwagBucks for doing online searches through them, finding free codes and more. Turn these in for prizes or gift cards for places like Amazon or even Southwest Air.

And a little info now for my readers on how to make a little extra holiday cash:

Before I started blogging last year, I’d spend at least 30 minutes at nighttime to take a few surveys. I loved being able to bring in a little extra money while still being able to stay home with my Son.

I’ve been wanting to get together a list of “legit” Survey companies for you all, in case you are interested in that same path.

Before you start taking surveys, here are a few important things to remember:

1) You’ll definitely want to set up a separate email account just for surveys. A lot of the companies offer you $ for simply just reading emails, which can accumulate to 3-6 per day per company. This will also prevent your personal account from becoming bombarded.

2) You won’t “get rich fast” with any of them. They take time to reach the designated payouts that some companies require. You’ll need to definitely practice a little patience, but it’s so worth it when the checks show up!

3) Different companies offer different rewards. Some only payout with gift cards. Others you’ll have to reach a designated threshold before you get your money. Others pay out in freebies. And you might get lucky enough to find some that payout in a little of everything!

4) Always make sure a company is “legit.” Ask around or look for those posted as recommendations from bloggers you trust. But always follow the rule of “Use Your Best Judgment” or “If It Sounds Too Good To Be True…It Probably Is!” Never, ever pay a fee to join one!

5) You can use a program such as Roboform HERE that will automatically fill in data for you, saving you time! There’s a FREE version that you can download.

6) It may not seem like your surveys are adding up to much so consider putting them in a separate high-interest account, such as one from ING, to watch them grow (and earn interest!) Think of it as your Vacation/Christmas Club!

Here are a few I’ve tried: (NOTE: Click on their name to get to their site.)

My Survey – This is my all-time favorite one. After I reached my payout amount, I had my check in one week! They also sent me freebies to try and review that weren’t even on the Market yet. And whether or not you qualify for a survey, you still got whatever points they promised. They give you 10 points for joining and up to 1500 points per survey. They also have a referral program giving you 150 points for referring a friend

Inbox Dollars – This one was slow to reach payout. But I mostly focused on clicking on emails to read. Once I reached the payout, they did make me wait a set time before they processed the check and in the meantime, I had to keep my account active.

My Points – I didn’t get to work with them much because I started blogging right after signing up. But I know of others that like them and earn gift cards through them.

These are other recommended by other bloggers/readers, but I haven’t tried:

Ipsos- iSay– You’ll get 2-5 survey opportunities a week that earns you points. You can turn those in for gift cards to places such as Applebees, Chilis, Olive Garden, Amazon and Kohls. Each survey you complete also earns you an entry into a $5,000 drawing.

Surveyhead – You can get paid through Paypal. They send out frequent survey opportunities and you’ll get a $5 bonus just for signing up.

Opinion Outpost -This one lets you cash out at 50 points ($5) and most surveys are worth 20-30 points.

Survey Spot – Earn up to $5 per survey and you can request payout when you have earned $5.

Dollar Surveys – You get $1 per survey and you get paid out after completely them, rather than waiting to reach a specific threshold.

LightSpeed Research – They offer a lot of surveys. And you can even take the option of being paid in gift cards.

Other Income/Prize Earners:

SwagBucks – Have you heard me gush about them enough? If not, I have to say that I love them! You earn points just for doing your normal searches. Every so often, a box will pop up and you’ll have earned a “SwagBuck.” There are also Free codes put out every so often or other ways to earn Bucks.

Tryology – You get to try out FREE products in exchange for doing a video review on them.

Nielsen Home Scanner – You scan your purchases, upload them via software they give you and then you cash in points for prizes.

These are just a few out there. There are several more that are a little slower in earning. While these are “legit” companies, you may each have a different experience with them. Some are happy with slowly earning $, while others want to earn faster and find a company is not right for them. The only advice I can give is to sign-up for them and try them out. If they don’t work, you can close your account and try another one.

Feel free to share you experiences with these companies, but please…word them nicely, such as listing both pros/cons for them. Thanks!

I’ll save this in my left sidebar under “Resources” for future reference and update as I find any more that bloggers/readers enjoy.

Whenever I get a question a few times from readers, I try to put up a posting on it. As they say, when one asks, there are several that don’t.

The one I’ve been getting lately is “I don’t have time/knowledge to run my own blog but I’d like to make a little extra money for my family. Do you have any ideas or recommendations?”

Obviously, the first thing Coupon Geek would HAVE to tell you is…coupon and follow blogs to find great deals. 🙂 This won’t make you money but you’ll save loads. (But sometimes, you’ll get lucky and actually find money-making deals!) Then…

Before I had my own blog, one of the things I did was to participate in surveys. My favorite was My Survey. I actually put up a posting about it awhile back HERE.

Another thing to do is to join SwagBucks and to do your online searches there. You can turn in your SwagBucks for giftcards. I turn all of mine in for $5 Amazon gift cards, which only takes 45. Save up your $5 ones so you can get that FREE shipping at $25 threshold that most items qualify for. Especially make sure you do this on Fridays, as they are “Mega SwagBucks Days” and you can win more. $5 may not seem like much but it adds up and it doesn’t take up any extra time. This won’t technically “make” you money, but it will free up your cash you’d spend on those items for other things.

If you really want to know about some great money-makers, Moms By Heart has a well-written posting HERE with lots of ideas.

I hope this helps!

NOTE: If you have a question, please, by all means, feel free to email me at coupongeek at live dot com. I do my best to answer my readers. BUT please remember, some weeks get crazy and it may take me a bit to get back to you. But if it’s been a week, forward your email again. It either means I’ve spaced out or I’m disorganized that week. I honestly do not always have it together. 🙂 You know how it is—going six directions at once sometimes.